1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to surge protection devices for protecting telecommunications related equipment and associated sensitive electrical components from transient voltage and/or current surges. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved base station protector assembly for protecting telecommunications related equipment and associated sensitive electrical components from transient voltage and/or current surges occurring on power or transmission lines coupled thereto. Specifically, the base station protector assembly of the instant invention includes a uniquely designed housing unit which receives a main printed circuit board for mounting a portion of a plurality of primary/secondary protector networks therein, an auxiliary printed circuit board for mounting the current-limiting devices of the plurality of protector networks and for interconnection with the main printed circuit board, a plurality of exposed side grouped connector devices, and a plurality of protected side grouped connector devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is generally well known to those skilled in the telecommunications industry, modern telecommunications equipment is susceptible to transient surges such as those caused by lightning strikes and other voltage surges on the transmission lines. Accordingly, various types of surge protector circuits are known in the prior art which have been provided for connection to the incoming transmission lines so as to be normally non-operative but are rendered active when a voltage/current surge exceeds a predetermined limit for protecting the sensitive equipment.
As used herein, the term “transmission lines” refers to various types of wires or conductors in a power distribution network provided by electric utility companies for carrying power, voice signals, data signals and the like to a users' or consumers' equipment. The voice/data signals may be used for transmitting and/or receiving signals to and from various types of office equipment, such as telephone sets, computers, facsimile machines, photocopiers, alarm devices, modems, or high-speed interface circuit devices (T-1 line, DSL network, Ethernet network, 10/100/1000 Base-T interface, etc.).
In the typical power distribution network, the transmission lines provided by the utility companies carrying the various incoming signals are fed to a base station router (not shown) which is used to separate these incoming signals for interconnection to the different kinds of consumers' sensitive electrical equipment. In order to prevent damage to such electrical equipment caused by transient voltage and/or current surges, the present base station protector assembly has particular application in being used for interconnection between the base station router and the different kinds of consumers' equipment.